Thanks Shumi, because of you I ride a 390 ADV. You gave me the courage to go for it and it's the best decision I have made so far. So many things in this podcast are so relevant and amazing. I have a bike which blew my mind when I rode it it was the FZ25. I saw the spec sheet and was disappointed with it, but when I rode it for the first time it was fast and nimble. So I completely agree that need to ride or drive it to believe it. Thanks team for putting a beautiful podcast cheers
FZ25 has been that dark horse for sure! People often tend to look at specsheets and decide about bikes. For instance, FZS is definitely among the slowest in terms of specs but the way it handles 80 90 speeds on a highway despite being 130 ish kilos is brilliant and FZ25 is no exception infact it handles better highway speeds. Also its brilliant in terms of tractability in city where frequent gear shifting is a headache. Thats the reason I'm going to choose FZS. Only issue is the build quality of FZ's tank panel is a concern for me. Let's wait for the update from Yamaha. Hopefully they come with a better solution for this issue.
Cheers Anirudha! Yes, the FZ25 is a surprisingly pleasant motorcycle to ride. What we're trying to understand is how Yamaha's usually sharp designs don't seem to get to the FZ...
I love this long form content, completely unfiltered. In this age of growing short form content and reducing attention span of people, these videos are a refresher!
Before I started following Shumi: Bike buying process 2016: 1. I have 1 lac, where will I get the best value? 2. No test ride available, ok 3. Which dealer will not charge extra money If i pay by card.. 4. which colour is available earliest.. Bought Bajaj Avenger 220 Street like this After Following Shumi: 2023: 1. Decide the purpose, evaluate. 2. Test ride everything which you think fulfills d purpose 3. See with which bike you connect most. 4. Test rides not available, visit different dealers 5. Test ride too short to decide, rent from bike rentals and spend hours to decide.. 6. Once satisfied, manage finances 7. PDI 8. Get delivery n wear a smile ear to ear everytime I ride it.. Bought KTM DUKE 250 few days back..❤ Not simple but surely effective Thankyou both of you for sharing the wisdom, clearing the doubts and making us think more rationally ❤
Superb! Thanks RBJ! Glad we've been able to help. That's quite a sorted process! Tip: in action step 1, think in timeline terms also. How long do you think you're going to keep the bike... and what that means for purpose
I gotta agree with Shumi 100%. I bought a Vitpilen 250 in 2020 and lately was cursing myself for getting it because of the riding posture, as I ride in a very civil manner (sticking to 1 lane behind the same car) until last night when I met up with a friend with a new speed 400. I rode the crap out of my bike to just keep up, but didn't feel the back pain for the whole 2 hour ride. I now realize that the Vitpilen was not made for SoBo traffic, but rather twisty roads, and it opened my eyes forever.
@@motorinc anywhere from 6 months to a year, 2020 thar took 1 year and ScorpioN took 2 (from proto till production). Also, be on the lookout for 5D Thar Q3 2024 ;)
"Why are we buying vehicles? Because they have a utility value but there is a strong emotional component in them" by professor Shumi❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻. Can listen to these two gentlemen for hours together ❤️
Agree with the closing note from Shumar.. enjoyed the podcasts.. prefer the dark background, it's like i am sitting in the dark and listening you two guys discussing..soaking all the info..
1) I suggested my uncle to pick baleno cvt over dzire amt. Simply because cvt is better than amt. He tested both came back saying he felt amt better I was surprised. I went with him to my surprise he wasn't wrong. I felt that for an small 1.2l engine an amt makes most use of power when needed than an cvt. On highway overtakes simply slotting into manual mode was much easier than revving out the cvt. And amts have come an long way in smoothness with 4cyl engines. 2)i drive an 13 year old i10 1.2 N.A. 1.0 tsi was so appreciated all over. Got an chance, drove an rapid 1.0tsi on the same route I drive everyday. First I thought maybe in traffic the difference might be not felt. Then in outskirts traffic cleared a bit still I found the performance to be same as mine. What's the big deal? Then reached my colony for every speed bump I was forced to 1st gear while my old i10 was able to do it in 2nd. On spec sheet 0-100 is 5sec quicker. 20-80 it's 4 spec. But this is when the pedal is floored. I don't do it everyday on our conditions and driving habits most ppl rarely cross 2-2.5k rpm so the turbo engines doesn't make a lot of difference.
the 650 twins !!!! I was so happy they removed the pirellis. But its a shame now i can't convert my spokes to tubeless without finding a new tire to fit the bike.
27:38 The Interceptor & GT650 ...the big con about the Ceats though is that they are tube-type tyres - So any plans to move to tubeless means a new set of tyres as well (Very limited options with 18')
This has to be the most holistic video I’ve seen ever. So many great people insights, teaches you so much more than an IIM maybe. I’m the cofounder of a food company and we’re a 6 year old company now pivoting into something entirely different. And my other founders and I kept having this discussion around how data will tell us whether we can sell our product. I kept insisting that all it would do is tell us that we’re at a crossroad. It’s not going to tell me the direction that I want to go in. This conversation was a beautiful analogy to my experience. I’m glad that this feeling is universal.
Shumi, a very big thanks to you as you are the very reason I ride a tall motorcycle( Ktm adv 390) for my daily rides . I changed my bike recently and my previous bike was R15 v3 and because small change in the way i handle the motorcycle has made me feel like home on an adv 390.
Karthik and Shumi I pray that you guys live forever. The value you bring to this side of the automotive world is priceless. You all make it seem so effortless but the content is so rich and enjoyable. I can watch your episodes endlessly. I bike for many reasons but one of them is because you guys made it look so cool
Talking about seat height, I test rode the 250 adventure and yezdi adventure the same day, even though the yezdi had accessible seat height, I had to put my feet down while taking u-turn, but for 250 I never had to! such well balanced bike
Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 used to come with the Made in Brazil Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp which were later replaced with CEAT ZOOM Radials......
My guilty pleasure was that I used to rent motorcycles for the weekend and try them out. This is how i test rode motorcycles as well as cars (Before buying or even just to check them out 😁). Many cars & bikes launch where you don't really wanna buy it but do want to go for a spin. Going to the showroom for a test ride always involved a lot of paperwork. And constant phone calls from the next day to inquire about the test ride and the inclination of buying the car or not. That's why I always took cars and bikes on rent for a weekend many times on road trips too. No hassles. No picking up dealer's calls. No promises to be made. Just pure driving. Cons of this? Gotta wait until the rental place has the car/bike you want. An expensive hobby.
Regularly we don’t know. But for someone thinking of buying, renting that model for a weekend, if you ask us, is a terrific idea! Manufacturers and dealers, in fact, should extend this facility to bona fide prospects too!
So back in 2015 I was confused between the gixxer bs3 and the xtream every journalist appreciated the gixxer but it was expensive! I test ride both and the gixxer blew my mind! Waited some time got the money and bike! Best decision ever!!
A treat to the ears and the motorcyclist’s mind indeed!! The Honda CB300F after the recent price cut has become such a great proposition. The spec sheet surely doesn’t do justice to it’s incredibly fun nature at most revs except the top end. Please ride it as very few quality reviews are available. Love you guys! Please don’t stop this.
Thanks Doc! No plan to stop... to us, a bike is either great or its not. If the price change makes it great? There's something that the manufacturer should've done better to start with.
@@motorinc well said. Honda and it's pricing is a separate topic in itself. But they make good bikes and this cb300F is more fun than its spec sheet suggests. Do let us know your opinion after a ride.will surely help people like me.
Zest absolutely loved it. I started renting Zest (by Bounce) to commute to office in Bangalore. This was when I was waiting my Himalayan to be delivered. Honestly speaking that scooter made think about my motorcycle purchase decision couple of time. Such beautifully tuned scooter. I never understood why people do not opt for it. Does 0 to 60 fairly quickly, thanks to its lighter kerb weight. Felt almost as quick as Access or even better at times. More than sufficient for Bangalore.
Thank You gentlemen and the team behind you for really driving home the important points 👍 - The bikes being talked about are the Interceptor and Continental, have ridden the CEAT ZOOMs but didn't know that the Pirelli Phantoms were worse. - Ditto on Kartikeya's point on the 390 Duke. - On the spec sheets, rode a friend's Ninja 1000 and I was blown away by how easy, stable and tractable that bike was, in city traffic! Creamy power delivery, intoxicating sound. Twenty minutes on that bike and I was preferring this "235 kg 1000cc 4 cylinder sports tourer" in tier 2 traffic over the "145kg 390cc single cylinder street naked". - On the small petrols, the Maruti 1.0(K10B) just sings beyond 4000rpm, drive one and it makes you forget the car you're driving, your brakes will make you realize it though. The 1.2 is smoother, sounds better and has an amazing low end, perfect is the word. - Flatfooting is an overrated and unnecessary limitation, never cared about it.
I always like fast bikes. Never liked REs, cause they are bulky. I rode a Classic 500 Pune to Mumbai and back. Loved the experience so much, bought a second hand Classic 500. Now I wish, I had test rode Classic 500 when it was available. Now my daily drive is Classic 500.
What spec sheets help with is sorting and shortlisting the myriad of options we have, it's not possible to test ride all the automobiles at our disposal and select the best that one feels... Spec sheets are a selector tool letting one select the must haves in the automobile and then validate that picture with the test ride.
On a lighter note, I also would like to be able to see Shumi buy a bike in a showroom, I can imagine it to be so much fun 🤣🤣 and also learn some tricks as well 😉
It _should_ work like that. But the whole point is that the spec translates to the street so inconsistently sometimes that the filter you think it is, doesn't work well enough much of the time.
@@aezon003 There was one time I was at a showroom to collect a test bike and the salesman was going on and on to a customer about how the long wheelbase is so awesome. Once the customer left I walked up to the guy and told him I was rather impressed that the wheelbase did so much, so I'd like a closer look. So, where is it? He replied, "Arrey sir, I've only joined 2 days ago. Hang on..."
Agreed. Also the specsheet can't reveal what you don't want. Case in point - the INT650 is fast and all handles decently well, but is it what you want. I like riding the Classic 350 more I feel
RE 650s went from Pirelli to Ceats. I think it was FortNine or Zigwheels (unsure about this) who had mentioned that those pirellis were sourced from Brazil.
When Shumi Spoke about the Tvs Raider 125. I could relate to the Feelings and the emotions I connected with that Bike. Test Ride was the decider for me and today I have the Best TVS Raider
Love your conversations. It feels like I am sitting with a couple of friends in a room, listening to their exchange. You give me hope that after debating for years to get back on a motorcycle I am very, very close to jumping onto one. The chasm I need to cross is my lack of practice. I rode my first (and last) bike more than three decades ago in college. I am passionate about driving and I feel a strong urge to get on to a bike and do some long solo rides. Are there schools in India where I can go and practice with an instructor without first putting down the money for a new bike? Any leads would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
You guys are so clear in your thoughts ! Enlightenment all through ! My polo with 75hp is so much peppier and linear in power delivery than my figo (lazy fatboy engine) with around 90bhp. Its almost night and day. But yes i drive my figo much more cos its easier, larger windows, better visibilty, better ground clearance and its black. Its never what they say, its about how you feel. In the end, all we need are reliable machines amidst unreliable surroundings. The spec sheet will only give you an idea of how its gonna taste, but the real flavour is discovered once its savoured !
Completely agreed on the test ride. A few dealerships that refused to allow me to have a test ride put a significant dent on my interest in those bikes.
Such a relatable topic after owning first gen FZ16 decided to upgrade almost made my mind to buy classic 350 because of that gem of a J series engine but then test drove scram 411 although it had an older engine and probably ending it's life span but it was the test drive of that vehicle that made me realized that ergo wise and based on my riding style it suited me better than the classic 350 and finally purchased it and I am very happy with it...was also interested in dominar 400 but as per the dealer Bajaj doesn't offer test drive on this vehicle so striked it out then and there it self.....so ya insync with the famous saying " You don't ride a spec sheet."....😎... Thanks Shumi & Karthikeya for touching this wonderful topic.
27:43 i was so sad when this happened with the Inty! Same happened with the Himalayan too. Pirellis in the US and that lousy GrippXL tyres for India! Among the 125cc class scooters, The NTorq is one heck of a scooter. The exhaust sound, the ride quality, the handling, the power on tap, the speeds it can handle, and the brilliant fuel economy - None of this that the spec sheet couldn't promise - you don't ride spec sheets - so true! Other bikes I think that delivered much more - Dominar, 390 Adventure, Xpulse etc. Another thing is, heavy or long cruisers aren't exactly very tough to ride once you get the hang of it! No scraping the pegs or having a hard time handling the weight
@@motorinc please do so! I would love your thoughts on why the 390 adventure doesn’t get those knobby GrippXL tyres like the Himalayan. It’s well known for cars that the Continental or Michelin tyres are for great handling and grip, but not very clear for bikes. I intend to change my Himalayans tyres to Apollo Actigrip or the Pirelli MT60 even though expensive for the grip on the corners, your thoughts?
I have the Gen 2 250 Duke. Got it in May '23 after an Aprilia SR '19. Brilliant discussion. For me, my bike is the best bike due to so many reasons. Gear up everyone, ride safe.
Test ride! phew! This pre-booking scenario is really scary for me! For mostly the EVs this is a thing! We are booking spec sheets! Also for the RE bikes too....
I like Shumi's remark on how sometimes a few flaws settle in to make a bike special which cannot be encapsulated in a spec sheet possible because it can be intangible. It reminds of 2021 when I decided to buy Bullet ES 350 (Electra) instead of the newly launched next gen classic. The money part was never in question for me because the delta in price was not that significant. It was about the charm that Bullet ES had over next gen classic. The Next Gen classic IMHO is the most refined Enfield that came out. Even refined than both the twins. But it doesn't have the charm of an Enfield. An Enfield should be analog, should rattle the balls. You shouldn't push the bike to over 100kmph even if it does. It's not meant for it. You just glide over the highway is what I feel. And that's why I strongly connect with what Shumi said
And how subjective that feeling is why spec sheets don’t really work. Shumi would disagree about a slow glide on the highway - overtaking is safer than being overtaken a lot. 😊
You ride your motorcycle not it's specsheet, I agree. I recently bought a Royal Enfield hunter when I wanted to upgrade from my Yamaha fz-s V2. To be Frank I was always the sport bike junkie. And I did not like the ones I test rode in my budget. R15v4, mt15, didn't feel like an upgrade. Fz25 just didn't do it for me. And then my uncle forced me to wait for The hunter to release. I did not like Enfields as I thought they were heavy and slow. I sat on the hunter the next day after it was launched. And I said "this is for me". And 5 months later. I enjoy every moment on this motorcycle and wouldn't give it up for anything.
44:06 I would like to run a few quick questions for Kartikeya sir 1. Heaviest motorcycle ridden 2. Most powerful (anything) driven 2.a. Most powerful bike ridden 3. Tallest seat height
I think what matters the most for me is how well and sophisticatedly the features on the bike/car works. For example: I am fine with having a car which has no tyre pressure monitoring system rather than a car equipped with a faulty, inaccurate one. Spec sheets never tells us how sophisticatedly the mention set of features work.
12:25 Shortest of the people ride the fastest of the motorcycle not because they are short but because they simply weigh less. All manufacturers can make lightest of the bikes but the only variable that they can't control in a rider is their weight. They can loose only so much weight. So when you have short riders, they are lighter and hence can go faster in the same bike compared to the taller guy. (just putting here because some people get this wrong)
What a beautiful podcast, really liked it. I bought Ather 450 x after test riding both Ola s1 pro and Ather. People ask me why not Ola because on paper Ola does everything better and have more utility. Real eye opener for me was test drive Ather feel so nimble and quicker (if not faster than ola) a 70 kmph in ather feels faster than 90 kmph of ola. That futuristic sound of a belt drive and wind blast combine make me feel like riding a futuristic machine. It reminds me of a Sci-fi spaceship. It just works better for me
This podcast itself reflects my ideology of why spec sheet don't matter alot to me. For instance I'm gonna with FZS. People often compare its specs to other 150 or even 160 cc bikes and conclude that FZ is slower but it has a pro in it i.e fuel efficiency. Eventhough it has 12 horses it can do 85 kmph cruising comfortably for almost 200 km continuously with comfort not getting for a toss. Its a city bike for sure but not everyone can afford a bike for highway and another for city. Adding up, along with my weight (65 kg) and bike being 130 ish, its planted on highway at 90 kmph. And its tractable enough in city which adds to its practicality nature. Hence ended up with FZ. But gonna test ride few other bikes in 160 cc and decide if FZ is still my cup of tea or not. As always great conversation from these two gentlemen. If you found this video helpful give it a like, share, comment and a sub would help in better motorcycling experience altogether. 👍🏻❤️😃😃 ❤❤❤❤
My sister wanted a scooter so I recommend her the Zest. And she loved it to the core. What a scooter light nimble refined comfortable. Aur cylinder bhi aa jata h aage.
been following you two for long , and i too agree with ktm gen 2 opinion , however , i love what you guys are doing ,its simple straight and good to hear slow conversation, i believe only bikes need to be fast and not conversation. waise the bike that worked for me , i mean i loved were continental gt 535 and cbr 250 r.
I have a duke 200 2016 and now you guys just convinced me to go and buy a duke 390 . And these podcast are just soo good to listen just keep them coming.
kartikeya and shumi, heres the thing the conversation you guys had is the reason I started investing from now at the age of 21 for my super bike which I don't know yet but eventually I will find it out. mostly its harley and a hayabusa!!
I loved the Impulse when I was a kid even when I'd never ridden a cycle. When hero launched the Xpulse 200 I went crazy and wanted it so badly. As soon as I started my first job, i knew I want the Xpulse and by the time hero came up with Xpulse BS6 4V 👀. I went to the showroom with my friend because *he* wanted to test ride it. I didn't know how to ride a motorcycle so I sat on the Xpulse which was on the display and felt nothing. All the emotions were gone. The bike didn't give me the feeling that I had built in my head. And then I went to TVS showroom to checkout the Ntorq Race XP that my friend wanted to buy. So I sat on the RTR 200 4V👀. It blew my mind. ❤️ Went on OLX, saw a guy selling his 9 months old RTR 200 4V BS6 because he just bought an RR310 already. I have that RTR 200 BS6 Race Blue and i absolutely love it. It literally taught me how to ride. The slipper clutch and dual channel ABS is the best part of the bike, it has literally saved my life even at speeds of 30 kmph in heavy traffic. I'm not hating the Xpulse, it is the best bike for my friend 💫. For me it's the RTR 200 ❤️.
I fully agree that spec sheet don't cater/sum up for every one individual and started not giving importance to it ....but some how i am unable to get rid of habit of looking for ground clearance when i look it first
Enjoying every bit of what you are present and talking about. I have got first generation Suzuki Swift 1.3 petrol, and Enjoying every ride with it but family somehow don't resonate accordingly, telling me to sell the car. But you know the car, how it amazingly it handles, the sitting position and power is spot on. What do you recommend?
You guys spoke my mind too on spec sheet, I don't know to how many people i told the same things as you said. I have forwarded this video to quite a few of them, hope they understand better after seeing your video
World class knowledge & fantastic insights as always 👏.I am 6 ft 4 inch & I was planning for a bike around 4 lakh. Many of my friends suggested Interceptor 650 but when I test rode it soon I realized this is not the bike resonating with me because I was already in love with the 390 adventure 2022 model. For my height this bike is actually an enlarged duke which is not at all overwhelming & I am having the most thrilling experience ever since I bought it 😉.
A topic that I would love to listen on is a deep dive on what goes through your mind when you are driving\testing a vehicle for the first time? Like a few questions that come to mind are 'What exactly are you looking for?', 'How do you evaluate the handling?', 'What parameters do you look for when trying to evaluate it?'. Ofcourse I understand there is an emotional component to it. But it would be great to see it put into words. What I want to do is to learn how to better evaluate vehicles (motorcycles specifically)? Due to the lack if experience It's quite difficult to identify things and would love to have some comments to learn this
Great suggestion! Would you ask this as a 1/ enthusiast? 2/ prospective buyer? or 3/ prospective professional motorcycle tester? There's a slight but very important difference between all three.
Enthusiast: I want to have fun Buyer: I want to have fun and it should fit my life Tester: It should be fun and it should be easy to recommend to people
The basic question you're asking is if you're having fun riding the bike. This has many components that change with your age (in motorcycling experience terms), skill level (how much of the ability can you actually exploit) and preference (do you like your bikes slow? fast? calm? angry?). This is why testers (who you watch) telling you clearly what they prefer as their filter for what they're testing and what feelings they are getting is crucial to you interpreting the test for yourself.
I rode my colleague’s Xpulse recently and the seat height is not as intimidating as it seems on paper and the “seat height review” videos. The lighter weight adds up in having a good experience. Continuing on safety, can you guys put a podcast on riding gears - the hype, the necessity and the benchmarks?
working on a hilarious scrambler project😂,I have managed to reduced weight on splendor by 6-9kgs minimum and it feels better now😂 will desperately need to change tyres though and that weight would even out but still I adore the way it works, hell with spec shits🤣
Toto is my spirit animal. And seat height is the first thing I check beyond everything else. I have my fingers crossed on ADVs - 810mm max. Anything more and I'll be looking at them all through Toto's eyes.
Except that Toto, an intensely intelligent doggo was limited by his biology. You don't have to be... There's no seat height you cannot learn to handle.
OK so I am only half way through watching the video but I had to stop and write in the comments. Wow... What a beautiful subject you have picked... How beautifully explained... But I guess I expect nothing less from you'll and you never disappoint. Amazing.. Brilliant... Look forward to every upload from you'll. Kudos. Guys you'll are really doing something special here. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@@motorinc Shumi being a hard core bike guy should speak about what riding a bike is really all about. His views on motor cycling and why its special vs driving a car. How does one start on their journey discovering motorcycles.
I went to North Delhi Motorcycles (Royal Enfield, Saraswati Vihar, Delhi) to test ride a Super Meteor 650 with an intent to book it the same day. They didn’t let me test ride coz I wasn’t carrying my physical driving license but only had a digital version in DigiLocker. I moved out and somehow I don’t want to buy a Super Meteor 650 because my experience was ruined. I will rather buy a different bike now (this is in reference to Shumi’s question @34:36)
Yes. That will happen. Because the DL is a document the dealers use as security while you ride… and this system was created before the DigiLocker happened… it’ll change
Drive /ride and decide what fits your requirements and feel I had this revelation when I moved from a 4 cylinder inline to a single cylinder adv no looking back since new birth
We should have a podcast on touring (solo/group).. like tips, tricks, do, do not's and everything a person needs to know. You can share your stories, experiences and learning. Also this year the touring and bike markets have been growing multiples and a lot of motor enthusiast would like to hear and learn from you.
Amazing podcast and it was wholesome altogether. I was drinking coffee and listening to you both and it felt so much alive such that it felt like I was a part of this conversation and I shouted out with a laugh "the 650s" when you were talking about the Pirelli tyres and then I realised I wasn't here.
I was particularly glued on to the session where you guys were talking about "teaching that somebody a lesson", because i am usually that guy who goes to do the same.Hmmm..Well after hearing you guys...i think i will rethink my course of action from now on!!!!.Thank you
My take on seat heights: Doesn't matter in most cases... but while doing offroading especially with a pillion I think chance of dropping the bike {and the pillion) is bit higher on an adv 250/390 than a bike with 790/800mm seat height. And I think that matters a lot when someone is buying a bike primary for touring.
@@motorinc What to do sir... Bina wife ke ghumne nikle to khair nahi... 😂😂😂 Btw, by off-roading i meant softroading like roads in zanskar, gurudongmar etc.
For me it's the Gixxer 155, I was expecting a performance like Fz-s after looking at the spec sheet. But man oh man it was really an exciting bike even when compared to my Pulsar n160 which has significabtly more power on papers
Thank you both of you for this. However, one problem about test drives/rides is that the condition of the test vehicle isn't always great across India. Throw some light on that if you will. It changes our experience of the vehicle. Please.
Personally speaking, the spec sheet means only so much. There is no spec sheet that can convey how beautiful a motorcycle is, whether it will make me sit down with a cup of chai and admire how the rays of the setting sun lights up the heavy chrome on the tank. For me, the right motorcycle must, first and foremost, be a thing of beauty. There isnt a spec sheet for that. I knew I would buy the interceptor from the day it launched, but I REALLY wanted the buy it when they launched it in the Mk II livery. Now I have one. I admire it everyday. Sometimes when one of the elevators as broken, as it usually is in my building, I run down eleven flights of stairs so I can start riding soon. Is there a better motorcycle than the Int650? Oh yes. Is there a prettier one? I dont think so.
That's a great ans from Karthik that you don't respond to comments if you've not ridden that motorcycle. I've seen a guy made a video on Vstrom 250 in Zigwheels, he wear a red specs (don't know his name). Even before the bike was launched he was spitting negative opinion and the video was to say the bike don't worth it. But in real V strom 250 is a gem.
19:30 one more example can be of nexon and xuv300, both have a 1.2l turbo engine. But the engine on xuv is so much more refined, punchy and that makes xuv a performance oriented vehicle while nexon as any other turbocharged car.
Hi guys... been watching your podcasts and your all types of videos about cars and motorcycles, absolutely love the content and chats, but my humble request is that can you guys please make a podcast video about scooters for all those scooter lovers out there in the country including me. Thanks.....
You guys are like Superheroes for budding motorcyclists like us. I have been reading Auto/ Moto magazines since 2005. I'm 30 now and its because of all of you guys ( irrespective of which magazine) that we are courageous enough to explore the country/ world on our own wheels. Its because you actually drove/ rode/ own the machines we only dream of and we respect you for narrating your experiences and guiding us through. 😊 Thank you on behalf of all budding bikers ! More life and Power to you 💯🏁🏍️🚗
Nice! The first video that came to my mind when I finished seeing this was the ZW RS vs Monster vid about a year ago. I actually saw it again after seeing this one. A great example of a review that went well beyond the spec sheet. I’m curious to know what KS would’ve picked if the same comparo would have been against the 2023 RS - perhaps a postscript on that once he gets to ride it. I suspect it would still have been the Monster for the core of what it offers, but still.
I had 2 lakh rupees in my pocket from years of savings, I went to Test Drive 200cc motorcycles in my city. According to the spec sheet Pulsar N250 was the most powerful. I rode it, instantly understood this was still an unrefined bajaj with pathetic gearbox. although much better that my pulsar 135ls. But still. I drove a Hero Xpulse 2004v and it was very smooth but felt lack of that aggressive kick. I drove apache 1604v. unimpressed it was not able to pull off with a pillion. Then I got a call that there was a apache 2004v available, I went and got a test drive. Man -O -man. the guy just gave me the keys and said, GO have fun. I couldn't believe that this was a 20.8 Bhp bike. It was hugely faster than Pulsar N250 honestly. The engine was SOOOO smooth. The sound was like music, it looks pathetic in photos but in real life that bike was a Beauty. Damn, It actually made my body fill with adrenaline in just second gear, I was shaking and laughing too. That's why I bought an apache despite the Pulsar NS200 / N250 being more powerful.
Seriously.. I used to give alot of attention to the spec sheet before.. I have an R15 and a dominar and I used to think that more bhp is everything.. but when I rode the himalayan in ladakh on no roads (towards rezang la) I fell in love with it.. I’m sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed either of my bikes more than the himalayan on those roads.. each bike and car have it’s own characteristics apart from the size and power of that machine.. go with the one you feel better.. you’ll be happy to spend for it’s up keep in the future
Absolutely right I have a Hornet 2.0 and it is a pricy 180cc but let me tell you from 50 kmph to 95 kmph its a beast. I have even ran my bike against cbr650r on open highway with mid level traffic and I was able to cross him two three times with a speed around 110. I have also taken it to corner carrying speeds around 75 kmph and it was quite stable. P. S. I'm a beginner level rider and I think Honda bikes are underrated
Testdrive thing is so true...I come from a small city where we dont have all dealerships. I wanted to buy a middle weight 650 adv and after doing my research on spec sheets and reviews had almost nailed down on the Versys. So i drive down to the nearest dealership 300 Kms away and the dealer didsnt have a test bike. Ended up buying the Vstrom as that was the only other option i could ride. But these days what is also happening is that there is very long waiting period if you dont book on the day of launch. I waited to testdrive the XUV 700 which took over a month after launch and I am still waiting for the delivery. On the other hand I booked by Thar on the day of the launch and got it within 2 months but I still regret the purchase.
To us, no matter who the maker is, what their reputation is. If they can't be bothered to make sure we have a proper test ride? They're getting no money from us towards a sale. No chance. No way. No How.
For me the one motorcycle that outdid the spec sheet is the TVS apache rtr 200 4v, whch i hppn to own. Got it over ns 200 and i dont regret it a bit,ps; not evn the lack of 6th gear as ppl say . What an overall package it is.
The test ride on the 390 adventure sure was an intimidating experience. Coming from a scooter to something with more than 5x the power of what I ride and is a lot more taller. Reading the specs and speaking to people, I was torn on the seat height part. Surprisingly, what intimidated me on the test ride was more of the power and not the seat height. It felt quite light and manageable. A few months after picking up the ADV, I learnt there is no need to tip toe on both the feet when I can easily get a planted foot on one side. A year after picking up, I changed the front suspension springs to a taller set up to increase the travel and get more ground clearance on trails. Sure it did bump up the seat height, but I'm as happy as I could be with the new setup.
